Waiting to Lead: What African Schools Lose When Young Women Are Overlooked
By Caren Namalenya
Research Officer, Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA)
Across many African education systems, leadership is something one is expected to grow into slowly. Years of service matter. But there is an unintended consequence: youth leadership is often delayed rather than developed.
In Uganda, for instance, teachers typically move through classroom roles, senior responsibilities, and deputy positions over 8–12 years, with headship expected only after a decade or more of active service (Ministry of Education and Sports Uganda, 2008; CPD Framework, 2017). These guidelines are important. Experience matters, But systems are likely to miss the opportunity to benefit from fresh energy, new ideas, and adaptive thinking.
For young women, this delay is even more pronounced.
Although maternity leave is legally protected in most education systems, leadership pathways that emphasise seniority and uninterrupted service can unintentionally disadvantage women. Eligibility for school leadership often depends on years accumulated in specific roles and access to acting leadership opportunities, both of which may be postponed by maternity-related career breaks. As a result, readiness is often judged by uninterrupted service rather than demonstrated competence (UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2022;UNESCO, 2024; World Bank, 2023). The Global Education Monitoring Report (UNESCO, 2025) further notes that many leadership pathways assume linear, uninterrupted careers, a dynamic that can create missed opportunities and delay women’s advancement into leadership roles.
Female school leaders remain significantly underrepresented, accounting for only 9%–21% of school leaders in most African countries (UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2022). This persists despite compelling evidence that schools led by women indicate higher rates of student progression, improved learning outcomes, and lower absenteeism (UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2022; World Bank, 2023). These findings challenge long-held assumptions about leadership readiness, yet they have not meaningfully reshaped leadership pathways.
The gap between evidence and practice was brought into sharp focus during a recent convening of the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL), held in Nairobi in February 2026. School leaders reflected on their journeys. Among them was one story that captured how structural barriers play out in real life.
Leadership in Practice: A Young Woman’s Journey from the Ground
 Ms. Phyllis A. Wijenje, FathiladhimPrimary & Secondary School, Mombasa- Kenya | Ms. Phyllis A. Wijenje, a young woman school leader from Fashilidhan Primary and Secondary School in Mombasa, Kenya, described entering leadership not through encouragement, but persistence. She stepped into spaces where relationships were already established, and belonging felt negotiated rather than assumed. “You know when you go to meetings,” she reflected, “you find the older women school leaders who have formed their own circles. They have already built relationships, and it is difficult for them to accommodate you.” Her experience highlights a quieter but persistent barrier facing young women leaders: the absence of mentorship and professional networks when most needed. Leadership, for her, meant learning on the job while constantly proving her legitimacy, often without structured guidance or affirmation. |
What shifted her trajectory was formal leadership and management training she received from the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI). This training did not replace experience; rather, it strengthened it. It built her confidence, sharpened her practical skills, and provided a professional foundation that complemented her years into leadership. Today, she is recognised as one of the country’s high-performing school principals.
Her story matters because it reflects a broader moment of change in African education systems.
A Changing Context Demands a New Definition of Readiness
Countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) reforms are redefining effective school leadership. These reforms call for participatory, learner-centred leadership (Competency-based school leadership) that extends beyond the school, requiring meaningful engagement with teachers, parents, communities, and local institutions to support holistic learning (Global Education Monitoring Report, 2025).
Leadership is no longer confined to administration; it is increasingly relational, outward-facing, and deeply collaborative.
At the same time, education systems are adapting to digital changes and the rise of artificial intelligence. Today’s school leaders must be adaptable, innovative, and comfortable with change. These qualities are often more visible among younger leaders, especially when they are supported through structured training and mentorship.
Research links female school leadership with more collaborative practices, stronger teacher engagement, and more inclusive school environments, key drivers of school effectiveness, particularly during periods of such reform (UNESCO, 2024). Yet leadership readiness continues to be measured primarily by years served rather than impact delivered.
Redefining Readiness
Being young. Being a woman. Being a leader.
This is not about bypassing experience. It is about redefining readiness.
Leadership potential can be cultivated deliberately through early investment, structured training, mentorship, supportive networks, and inclusive leadership pathways.
If African education systems are serious about CBC reforms, equity, and improved learning outcomes, leadership pipelines must evolve. Systems must open doors earlier for youth, deliberately support women, and treat leadership development as a competency, evidence and impact–driven investment, rather than a reward for longevity.
The evidence is clear.
And stories, such as Ms. Phyllis Wijenje’s, remind us that when young women are ready to lead but made to wait, schools and students lose more than time.
Acknowledgement
This blog draws on insights from the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) validation convening held in Nairobi in February 2026. ACSL is a partnership coordinated by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and implemented with Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA), the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), and VVOB – education for development. We acknowledge the contributions of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across Africa who participated in the consultations.
References
ADEA. (2023). School leadership, equity, and learning outcomes in Africa. Association for the Development of Education in Africa. https://www.adeanet.org
Education International. (2025). Gender-responsive leadership in education systems. Education International. https://www.ei-ie.org
Ministry of Education and Sports. (2008). Education (Pre-primary, primary, and post-primary) Act. Government of Uganda. https://www.education.go.ug
Ministry of Education and Sports. (2017). Continuous professional development framework and costed implementation plan. Government of Uganda. https://www.education.go.ug
UNESCO. (2024). School leadership and system reform in Africa. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://www.unesco.org/en/education
UNESCO. (2025). Global education monitoring report: Spotlight on school leadership. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report
UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. (2022). Female leadership and school outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. UNICEF. https://www.unicef-irc.org
World Bank. (2023). Education leadership, learning outcomes, and system transformation. World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education
World Bank Group. (2023). Increasing women’s representation in business leadership. World Bank Group.
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